Boston Jane

 Boston Jane; An Adventure

Holm, J. L. (2010). Boston Jane: An Adventure. Random House Children's Books. 

ISBN 978-0375862045

Plot Summary:

1855. The unknown wilds of the Pacific Northwest—a land not yet tamed, and certainly not fitting for a proper young lady! Yet that’s just where Miss Jane Peck finds herself. After a tumultuous childhood on the wrong side of Philadelphia high society, Jane is trying to put aside her reckless ways and be accepted as a proper young lady. And so when handsome William Baldt proposes, she joyfully accepts and prepares to join him in a world away from her home in Washington Territory. But Miss Hepplewhite’ s straitlaced finishing school was hardly preparation for the treacherous months at sea it takes to get there, the haunting loss she’ll face on the way, or the colorful characters and crude life that await her on the frontier.

(Holm, n.d.)

Analysis:

Boston Jane is an adventure story about the American Frontier. After a tumultuous and tragic ocean voyage Jane finds herself in the throes of life in the unsettled Pacific Northwest. The characters in this novel are uncomplicated. Sally Biddle is a typical antagonist, Papa is a widowed doctor raising a child without her mother’s female influence. Mary and Mrs. Parker are devoted housemaids. And as we explore the frontier, the characters we meet continue to be somewhat uni-dimensional. We glimpse some character development when Jane meets Suis and their relationship develops. The spirits spoken of by the native Americans as well as Mary’s haunting appearances add interest to the somewhat predictable plot. Jane is trapped in a self-made cell throughout most of the book as she endeavors to become “a lady”.  She finally comes into her own and rediscovers her voice, but the path she takes to get there is maddening. I would recommend this adventure story for young readers.

Book Reviews:

Jane is alone and unsure about the frontier, but learns how to cope and maintains her wits. Her struggles bring readers to the realization that frontier life can be a challenge. Jane eventually learns how to get along with the Chinook Indians and takes charge of her life and destiny. Readers who like an adventure story will enjoy the book's underlying historical theme. It's a great read for learning about Shoalwater Bay in the Washington Territory.

–Holmes, M. (2002). Boston Jane (Book). Book Report, 20(4), 61.

 The series of challenges that transform Jane into an outspoken, self-reliant young woman forms a tale that readers will long remember.

–Zaleski, J. (2002). Fiction REPRINTS. Publishers Weekly, 249(37), 71.

Connections:

• This book chronicles an interesting time in US history. It would be a good conversation starter about native americans and the Pacific Northwest.

Awards:

JENNIFER L. HOLM is the New York Times bestselling author of three Newbery Honor Books, as well as the Babymouse and Squish series which she collaborates on with her brother Matthew Holm.

This review was created as an assignment for SHSU LSSL 5385.

I Must Betray You

 I Must Betray You

Sepetys, R. (2023). I Must Betray You. Penguin Young Readers Group. ISBN 978-1984836045

Plot Summary:

Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force.

Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe.

Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom?

(Sepetys, n.d.)

Analysis:

Ruta Sepetys hooks you from the opening scenes of this historical fiction novel. The oppression of the Romanian people is revealed as the author keeps you guessing who you can trust. This book sheds light on the heroic efforts and sacrifices made by ordinary people who quietly fought for their freedom. Secrets revealed at the end of the novel were masterfully hidden throughout the pages. When I finished the book, I wanted to reread it knowing what I knew after the first read. This historical fiction work made me think about my own freedom of expression and reminded me how powerful that is. I would recommend this book to any YA reader without hesitation.

Book Reviews:

“As educational as it is thrilling...[T]he power of I Must Betray You [is] it doesn’t just describe the destabilizing effects of being spied on; it will make you experience them too.” 

–New York Times Book Review

 "Sepetys brilliantly blends a staggering amount of research with heart, craft, and insight in a way very few writers can. Compulsively readable and brilliant."

 –Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Sepetys’s latest book maintains the caliber readers have come to expect from an author whose focus on hidden histories has made her a YA powerhouse of historical ­fiction…Sepetys is a formidable writer, and her stories declare the need to write about global issues of social injustice. For that reason and her attention to detail, this is a must-read.

 –School Library Journal, starred review

Connections:

• The historical relevance of this novel lends itself to any number of discussions and activities. This book will enhance lessons about freedom, oppression, and our connection to the rest of the world.

Awards:

Winner of the Josette Frank Award for Fiction ♦ An NPR Best Book of the Year ♦ An Amazon Best Book of the Year ♦ A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year ♦ A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year ♦ A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year ♦ A Christian Science Monitor Best Book of the Year ♦ A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year ♦ A Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year ♦ A YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults Pick ♦ A Goodreads Choice Award Nominee 

This review was created as an assignment for SHSU LSSL 5385.

If I Ever Get Out of Here

 If I Ever Get Out of Here

Gansworth, E. (2013). If I Ever Get Out of Here: A Novel with Paintings. Arthur A. Levine Books. ISBN 978-0545417310

Plot Summary:

Lewis "Shoe" Blake is used to the joys and difficulties of life on the Tuscarora Indian reservation in 1975: the joking, the Fireball games, the snow blowing through his roof. What he's not used to is white people being nice to him -- people like George Haddonfield, whose family recently moved to town with the Air Force. As the boys connect through their mutual passion for music, especially the Beatles, Lewis has to lie more and more to hide the reality of his family's poverty from George. He also has to deal with the vicious Evan Reininger, who makes Lewis the special target of his wrath. But when everyone else is on Evan's side, how can he be defeated? And if George finds out the truth about Lewis's home -- will he still be his friend?

(Gansworth, n.d.)

Analysis:

Eric Gansworth creates a multi-layered tale about Native American life for a teenager living on the Tuscarora Indian Reservation in upstate New York in the 1970’s. Lewis “Shoe” attends school off the reservation. He is known as a brainiac at home, but feels invisible at school. It’s hard for him to know exactly where he belongs.With his family and a few good friends by his side he faces the challenges of being an American Indian attending a mostly white school. This book examines minority and marginalized characters who face lingering discrimination due to race, class, socio-economics. It also touches on prejudices Vietnam veterans and military families faced during this time. Gansworth expertly weaves Lewis’ love for Paul McCartney and the Beatles into each chapter making this a musical anthology and a relatable expression of teen life. There are some references to pornography and some physical violence in the writing, so I would consider these things when recommending this book.

Book Reviews:

Gansworth, himself an enrolled member of the Onondaga Nation, explores the boys' organic relationship with generosity and tenderness and unflinching clarity, sidestepping stereotypes to offer two genuine characters navigating the unlikely intersection of two fully realized worlds.... And although Gansworth manages the weighty themes of racism and poverty with nuance and finesse, at its heart, this is a rare and freehearted portrait of true friendship.

 -- Booklist, starred review

Readers will appreciate the teenager's sharp insights into being an outsider and Gansworth's intimate knowledge of the prejudices and injustices inherent to Lewis's life.

-- Publishers Weekly

Connections:

I would love to connect this book to a pop music unit (I am a music teacher). It could be used as a way to talk discuss sensitivity when addressing historical and cultural aspects of music.

Awards:

American Indian Youth Literature Award,  2014

This review was created as an assignment for SHSU LSSL 5385.

Podcasts

 

The Gray Lady allegedly haunts the Willard Library in Evansville, Indiana.

Please click on the photo above or follow this link, https://najatfgonzalez15.podbean.com/e/haunted-libraries/ to listen to a fun haunted library podcast by Najat, Ashleigh, and myself.

(For fun, you can watch the ghost-cam set up by the Willard Library here.)

Making a podcast was a really fun experiment that I would definitely try again. In the spirit of October, we decided to make our podcast about haunted libraries. It was fun to investigate and research, and I really enjoyed our podcast conversation.

We evaluated three platforms for podcasting: Podbean, Buzzsprout and Anchor. All three seemed simple to use and very similar. We ended up choosing Podbean because the free version was user friendly and easy to navigate. I like that there is a mobile version in addition to the web-based app. We recorded our podcast on Zoom and uploaded the audio to Podbean in a couple of easy steps. It would be fun to enhance the recording with editing and sound effects.

Anchor( now Spotify for Podcasts)
	Pro	Con
Storage	Can upload files up to 250 MB in size.	Use only mp3, m4a, wav and mpg. Wav file longer than 15 minutes may be difficult to work with.
Bandwidth	Unlimited bandwidth limits.
Usability	Top choice for new podcasters. Easy to use ads and listeners to monetize. You can add songs from Spotify. Easy to distribute to most platforms.	Depending on browser being used for solo recordings Chrome has 30 minute limit, Safari has 5 minute limit and mobile app recordings are 2 hours. they require you to manually enable RSS and submit your feed to each directory Subpar recording tools. Only one podcast per account and no tiered access.
Analytics	Can find information on the overview of the podcast (audience size, plays per episode, etc.), audience (geographic location, apps/devices, gender and age), and episode rankings.
Word processing integration	Able to transcribe	Recording has to be less than 1 minute long to transcribe.  Must be on app, not on a web browser, is my understanding
Price	100% free but subscribers can donate $.99, $.4.99 or $9.99.	While it is free for users, Spotify still uses ads to monetize from each podcast.

Buzzsprout
	Pro	Con
Storage	Free plan allows 2 hours of audio storage per month that will be hosted for 90 days.	To keep episodes on the platform for more than 90 days, you have to subscribe.
Bandwidth
Usability	Easiest to use, according to the provided article. Audio is easily uploaded.  Your episodes can be listed in an extensive Podcast directory:	Podcasts cannot be imported until you are on a paid subscription.
Analytics	Easy to understand stats. Graphs are straight forward with simple options for viewing.
Word processing integration	Cohost AI Get episode titles, show notes, chapter markers, full transcript, social posts, and a blog post every time you upload an episode.
Price	Tiered pricing adds features like added storage, subscriber capabilities for monetization, increased tools, and cohost AI. Cost ranged from the free version to $24/month.

Podbean
	Pro	Con
Storage	Podbean’s basic plan is the default free one you get once you sign up for a Podbean account. This plan provides you with the following: Five hours of total storage space Unlimited Audio For the Unlimited Audio Plan, you are required to pay US$9 per month. You get to have the following features: Unlimited storage Unlimited Plus You can also opt for the Unlimited Plus, which costs US$29 each month. It offers you the following capabilities: Unlimited storage Business You can subscribe to a Business Plan, as well, which costs US$99 per month. You get to have the following benefits: Unlimited storage	Basic-promotion of your podcasts won’t be part of this plan Unlimited Audio- You will pay a small fee but you will also get these added features: Podbean mobile app Embeddable players Podcast site RSS feed & iTunes support Ad marketplace Premium sales Unlimited Plus- The fee for this tier is more expensive. This tier does include more features: All features from unlimited audio plus Patron program PodAds dynamic ad insertion Business The most expensive plan. This tier includes every feature from Unlimited Plus and also: Multiple admins Live chat support
Bandwidth	Podbean’s basic plan is the default free one you get once you sign up for a Podbean account. This plan provides you with the following: 100 GB bandwidth per month Unlimited Audio For the Unlimited Audio Plan, you are required to pay US$9 per month. You get to have the following features: Unlimited bandwidth Unlimited Plus You can also opt for the Unlimited Plus, which costs US$29 each month. It offers you the following capabilities: Unlimited bandwidth Business You can subscribe to a Business Plan, as well, which costs US$99 per month. You get to have the following benefits: Unlimited bandwidth	Basic-promotion of your podcasts won’t be part of this plan
Usability	Great for beginners and seasoned podcasters. Was able to create an account easily with a gmail address.
Analytics	Data on downloads, listener demographics, and geographic locations are all analytics tools that this platform offers.
Word processing integration
Price	Free for basic

I thought Podbean was a great platform for our purposes, but the upgraded plans are pretty expensive. Anchor is a great basic option, and is free. As a paid subscriber, Buzzsprout would be a good platform. Their AI cohost feature looks like it would be helpful if I was a frequent podcaster.

There are so many great educational podcasts that could be used in the classroom. A couple of places to look would be:50 Educational Podcasts You Should Check Out, and Elementary Podcasts. 

Making a simple podcast was fun, and I would definitely do it again. My teacher mind is buzzing with ideas of how to incorporate podcasts and the making of podcasts into my classroom.